In the market for ice cream (ice confectionary) as frozen food, there are two selling methods, i.e., “product-based selling method” and “menu-based selling method.” That is, packaged ice cream products are stored in a frozen state (at about −20° C.) and displayed for store sales or mail order sales in the product-based selling method. In the menu-based selling method, soft ice cream is made by refrigerating a liquid material at about −5° C. and served for sales at a store, or a sales person serves ice cream from a bulk ice cream product with the use of an ice cream disher or from a one-shot type ice cream product at a store, or mixes ice cream with a liquid material to process the ice cream into frozen drink for sales.
In the menu-based selling method in which ice cream having a smooth and soft eating texture can be served, a production license and a higher initial investment are required. Further, operations to be performed by store staff include material feeding, temperature adjustment, production machine operation, customer service, machine cleaning and sanitary management.
A one-shot type ice cream system currently employed requires no storefront production license, and utilizes special one-shot ice cream cartridges, a special apparatus and a special freezer, whereby the operations to be performed by the store staff are simplified, which mainly include server apparatus operation, customer service and simplified apparatus maintenance.
Since the ice cream cartridges are supplied in a frozen state (at about −20° C.), it is necessary to install a special freezer stocker in the store and adjust the temperatures of the ice cream cartridges (to about −12° C.) over six hours to soften the ice cream. Further, the once temperature-adjusted ice cream cartridges should be used within one week. After a lapse of the one week, ice crystal grains are likely to grow in the ice cream.
PTL 1 discloses an ice confectionary defrosting/dispensing method in which a dispensing container filled with ice confectionary is heated to a higher temperature, and the dispensing container is rubbed by applying a pressure to the dispensing container.
PTL 2 discloses a temperature adjusting method in which frozen soft ice cream is partially defrosted by applying outside warm air to a heat absorption radiation plate and then a compressing operation and a kneading operation are performed to render the frozen soft ice cream into a sherbet-like state.
PTL 3 and PTL 4 disclose temperature adjusting methods in which frozen hard ice cream is crush-defrosted by means of crushing gears or toothed rollers.